QLT initiates CORE study, evaluating drug delivery system for POAG and OH patients

Article

QLT Inc. has begun patient recruitment into its "CORE" study, a Phase II randomized, masked, parallel-group study of safety and preliminary efficacy of a punctal plug drug delivery system in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) or ocular hypertension (OH).

QLT Inc. has begun patient recruitment into its "CORE" study, a Phase II randomized, masked, parallel-group study of safety and preliminary efficacy of a punctal plug drug delivery system in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) or ocular hypertension (OH).

QLT's system is non-invasive and consists of three different concentrations of latanoprost, a prostaglandin analogue. It is being developed with the goal of being capable of delivering a variety of drugs to the eye over time through sustained release to the tear film for periods of approximately 90 days, with the aim of inducing a therapeutic drop in IOP.

The study objectives are to investigate the preliminary efficacy and safety of the punctal plug drug delivery system, and to determine an appropriate concentration(s) of drug to advance into late-stage development. Enrolled subjects will be randomized in an equal ratio to receive one of three concentrations (low, medium, high) and will be followed for 16 weeks.

Preliminary efficacy will be evaluated by the proportion of 60 subjects who have not lost efficacy, defined as an IOP increase to within 2 mmHg below baseline IOP while wearing a punctal plug with drug that has been continuously in place since Day 0, and with IOP variables including Goldmann IOP measurements, IOP change from baseline, and percentage IOP change from baseline.

Newsletter

Join ophthalmologists across Europe—sign up for exclusive updates and innovations in surgical techniques and clinical care.

Recent Videos
Christine Curcio, PhD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, shares histology update and revised nomenclature for OCT with Sheryl Stevenson of the Eye Care Network and Ophthalmology Times
SriniVas R. Sadda, MD, FARVO, shares key points from his retina presentation at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium
Robert Sergott, MD, describes fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO) and the International SPECTRALIS Symposium – And Beyond (ISS) in Heidelberg, Germany.
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, a professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, spoke with Ophthalmology Times Europe about his presentation. It's titled "An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma" at the International SPECTRALIS Sympsoium. In conversation with Hattie Hayes, Ophthalmology Times Europe
Anat Loewenstein, MD, describes her presentation on remote imaging for age-related macular degeneration and geographic atrophy at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium, in conversation with Hattie Hayes of Ophthalmology Times Europe
Tyson Brunstetter, OD, PhD, a US Navy Aerospace Optometrist at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, shares key takeaways from his keynote at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium (ISS)
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, shares his presentation, titled An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma, at this year's International SPECTRALIS Symposium
At the Retina World Congress, Siegfried Priglinger, MD, speaks about ensuring the best outcomes for preschool-aged patients
At the 2025 ASCRS meeting, Robert Ang, MD said small aperture IOLs can benefit all patients, especially those with complex corneas or who have undergone previous corneal refractive surgery
Viha Vig, MBChB graduate student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, discusses her poster presentation on the relationship between mitochondiral disease, Alzheimer disease, and other types of dementia.
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.